Gil Grissom, the tenacious TV sleuth who has never found a crime scene he doesn't like, stumbles upon a burn victim while investigating arson in a Las Vegas neighborhood. The "vic" appears to be a woman, but as Grissom bends down to examine her, she opens her eyes.... She's alive! Natural law in TV land demands that Grissom and his cohorts identify the woman and solve this mystery in less than an hour, so he wastes no time gathering the evidence: a shiny green substance found on the woman's fingers, an abnormal DNA profile, and a wet, pink sweater.

Megahits in the CSI family bring cases like this to millions of devoted fans every week. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "CSI: Miami," and "CSI: NY" dramatize the tedious work of real forensic scientists, who analyze every scrap of physical evidence found at crime scenes. Their painstaking investigations ensure that the criminal justice system works; in other words, "perps" are punished and innocents set free.

CSI's popularity has created an avalanche of interest in forensic science and prompted schools around the nation, including Jewish schools, to organize CSI-style classes and clubs. One school, Gann Academy in Waltham, Massachusetts, created "CSI: Waltham" as part of a special week devoted to experiential learning. Future forensic scientists investigated real clues from a murder mystery. They learned not only math, science, and physics, but also strategies to "investigate and inquire and interact thoroughly" with evidence (Devarim 13:15). Gil Grissom would have been proud.

Another program, "CSI Comes to Boston," attracted 200 Jewish students from Massachusetts and Rhode Island, who competed in teams to solve a mock burglary. "It was awesome," says Joshi Grinberg, an 8th grade student at Solomon Schechter Day School in Newton, Massachusetts. "We examined hair and blood samples, and ran experiments on the physics of light." Although the painstaking research wasn't easy, Joshi says that he and his friends (who, by the way, won the competition) learned an important lesson: Justice depends on truth, and forensic science uncovers truth. "Fortunately," Joshi explains, "we can use scientific investigations to ensure that suspects are guilty before giving them their punishments."

Jewish Law

Jewish law (halakhah) always has dealt with every aspect of living, both secular and religious. For example, the Shulhan Arukh—Judaism’s authoritative legal code distilled from discussions in the Talmud and published in the 16th century—includes laws about business loans, as well as blessings. Therefore, it’s not surprising that halakhah established standards of evidence necessary to prove a person’s death. These standards influenced the forensics of identifying unknown corpses; in other words, greater weight was given in Jewish courts to identifying unusual marks on the body than to simple statements of personal recognition.

Not Invisible but Unnoticed

Professor Yossi Almog is a real-life CSI super sleuth. In 1974, he created Israel’s first scientifically-based forensic crime lab, where he pioneered techniques that revolutionized fingerprint detection. But his most dazzling success came in 2000, when Almog and his forensic research team at Hebrew University developed a highly sensitive fluorescent compound that illuminates invisible fingerprints on different types of paper. Almog’s lab used this breakthrough in 2001 to lift a set of “prints” from a newspaper, which identified a dangerous terrorist assassin.

Dr. Almog received the prestigious Lucas Medal from the International Academy of Forensic Science in 2005 for his contributions to forensic science. He continues to help governments around the world fight crime and increase
security.